On November 3, a Jordanian soldier opened fire on three CIA vehicles carrying over a dozen US soldiers, many of whom helped train Jordanian soldiers. In the senseless attack, three Americans were killed, and to this day, no one knows why.

Jim Moriarty, the father of one of murdered Americans, asks the King of Jordan and the President of the United States: "Who was it that murdered my son and why?" 

As leader of Jordan’s Opposition Coalition, I feel obligated to answer to Mr. Moriarity directly, because none of the families of the fallen soldiers have received acceptable answers.

To do so, I think we need to start at the beginning by examining the facts.  When the attack took place, on  November 4, the Hashemite regime that rules Jordan claimed it was an “accident.” In fact, the Jordanian Monarch’s official media first blamed the victims, claiming that they failed to stop at the checkpoint at one of the most fortified air bases in the Middle East.  But that’s not probable, as the victims were Special Forces troops who knew the rules better than anyone else.

Nonetheless, at the time, the  regime was determined to stick to its story in the hopes that the incident would blow over, so It launched a media campaign promoting the story. They specifically used social media outlets to promote the following disturbing messages:

The soldier who killed the Americans was executing the law.

The arrogant American soldiers refused to stop at the gate and got what they deserved.

The shooter shows the Americans that nothing is above Jordan’s sovereignty. 

Even worse, the killer, Muarek Abu Tayeh, was portrayed as a hero by the regime’s media. But who is Abu Tayeh?  Tayeh is not a hero – he is a Jordanian soldier from a Bedouin tribe that has been loyal to Jordan’s kings since the early 1900s when they took part in the so-called Arab revolt.

Shortly after the attack early this month, Luay Rahahleh, a shady Jordanian with rumored close ties to the regime’s intelligence, posted an image of the attacker describing him as “the leader of the battle for Jordan’s dignity.”

Overlooking these facts, US investigators have officially and publicly concluded that the incident was “a deliberate terrorist attack,” dismissing the regime’s claims.

This is not the first incident of its kind.  Less than a year ago a Jordanian counter-terrorism officer opened fire in a training facility, killing two American trainers, as well as one from South Africa.  At the time, the King’s regime portrayed the killer as a man with mental problems. Nonetheless, the killer’s family protested that in fact he was a senior officer who has been loyal to the King – which is a must for any Jordanian soldier to be promoted. 

But why did Jordanian soldiers kill American counterparts who are there to train them to fight terrorism?

The answers might be shocking to many.

First, despite the moderate image King Abdallah portrays for himself, he has been deliberately promoting fundamentalism in Jordan at all levels, including within the parliament, army and intelligence services. A quick look at the King’s state media confirms this.

Second, it’s known that the King controls Jordan’s media with an iron fist, and that Jordan is one of the least free countries in the world, making him as much a modern dictator as a king. This has been confirmed by reports from international organizations like Reporters Without Borders.

Third, despite generous US financial aid and security provisions, the King’s media keeps inciting hatred and violence against the US, its Western allies, and of course, Israel.

Fourth, the King’s support for terrorism does not stop with words, but translates to doing business with groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies such as ISIS. In fact, CNN Arabic has confirmed that Jordan was one of the main buyers of ISIS oil, supplying the terror group with billions of cash used to kill Syrians and Iraqis as well as ethnically cleansing Yazidis and butchering Christians.

Fifth, the King’s regime has been caught stealing US weapons and then selling them on the black market. This was reported by the New York Times. In fact, one of those stolen guns was used to kill the American military trainers last year.

Sixth, as recently as July 2016 it was confirmed that British ammunitions were stolen right from a Jordanian military base and sold to ISIS itself. In fact, some “87,000 bullets – enough to solidly equip an infantry regiment” - were stolen from a base near Aqaba and then smuggled over 400 miles across the country right into the hands of ISIS.  Because of the police state grip the King has on the country, there is no doubt or question that this could have never have happened without the cooperation of the King himself. In fact, even if the King didn’t know (and that’s very unlikely), then he is incompetent and cannot handle the job of being a dictator.

Seventh, the King’s ISIS connections are not limited to selling weapons. The king’s support for radical Islamist terrorists extends beyond supplying them with weapons. Specifically, on 15 October 2015, Arab media confirmed reports that 4,500 trucks sold by Toyota to the Jordanian government have ended up in the hands of ISIS.  The King’s spokesperson has never commented on the matter, and we as an organization have asked how this could happen.

In 2014, a famous Egyptian politician named Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, announced he had an intelligence report confirming, “A senior Jordanian statesman has received $40 million from ISIS in exchange of supplying it with weapons, fighters and trucks”.  No person in Jordan could pull such a move without the King’s full approval, that is of course unless Heikal was talking about Jordan’s king himself.

Eighth, in December 2015, Syrian Foreign Minister, AlMualem, blamed Jordan and Turkey for the flow of terrorists into Syria, and clearly said that anti-ISIS efforts must focus on stopping those coming from those two countries in particular. 

The numbers support the Syrian government’s claims.  It is well known that in 2015, Jordan supplied the most ISIS fighters per capita, crossing a border to join the terror group.  At best, Jordan’s king is either unable to control the country’s borders, or at worst he is choosing to allow those terrorists to cross Jordan’s borders to join ISIS. Either way, its trouble for the country, its neighbors and Jordan’s allies.

Ninth, as for the killer, Muarek Abu Tayeh, his salary, uniform, guns and the very bullets by which Mr. Moriarity’s son was killed, have all come from the USA. Even so, very little of America’s generosity has filtered down to the Jordanian soldiers, who are paid a mere $400-500 per month simply because Jordan’s king and his 88 family members live lifestyles of the rich and famous, leaving practically nothing for ordinary Jordanians.  The young men and women in uniform are left with no hope and failing to secure even the most basics of their needs.

Tenth, the King tries to distract his angry citizens, and soldiers from hating him to hating America and Israel, telling them that everything that happens against them is a result of America or Jews, leading the likes of Abu Tayeh to blame and hate America for their miserable conditions.

Mr. Moriarity, I want you to personally know that the young man who killed your son was miserable and poor and told by the King that Americans are the devil and the reason for his misery. They fed him this line until the very morning he decided to end the innocent lives of your son and his colleagues.

Therefore, it’s no wonder that many Jordanian ISIS fighters have come from the King’s army and security agencies.  For example Ahmad AlMajali, a Jordanian air force captain who joined ISIS in 2012 and died later fighting in its ranks.  In another case, the son of a loyal senior Jordanian member of parliament joined ISIS despite his father pleading on the media for three months that his son was about to join ISIS through Ukraine. The Jordanian government didn’t do anything to stop the young man from joining ISIS and taking part in a major suicide bombing.  Surprisingly, that young man was related to the Jordanian pilot burned alive by ISIS last year and came from the same Southern village known for its loyalty to the King.

This shows ISIS ideology has been embedded in the Jordanian regime’s establishment itself.  So it should be no surprise to anyone that a senior counter-terrorism police officer opened fire on American trainers on 11 September 2016 killing 5 people.

Eleventh, Abu Tayeh was following the King’s lead.  For example: in November 2015, the King went on state TV, wearing his military uniform, and said: “Israel kills our kids every five minutes in Jerusalem and Gaza,” and that “there is Zionist terrorism.” Muark Abu Tayeh was following the example the King has set up for him with his shiny uniform, which was paid for by US taxpayers.

In conclusion, the tragic and horrifying death of three US servicemen in Jordan must serve as a wakeup call to Americans in general and to President-elect Trump that Jordan’s king is a terror-supporter who bites the very generous American hands that supports him. 

We, Jordan’s Opposition Coalition, have been warning for years that the more the King is kept in power by the US, the more he will promote terrorism, unrest, and anti-American feelings. 

Yes, the king leads a Westernized life style, but he is doing the oldest trick in the book: working both ends against the middle, scaring the Americans about Jordanians and scaring Jordanians about Americans, all while he steals US aid money for his own enrichment.  And the outcome has become clear: As Israeli-American analyst Caroline Glick commented on the death of the three soldiers: “Dead American servicemen is the price of doing business with Jordan.”

It is time for an accounting.  The US must get the King to account for the $20 billion which it has given him over the last 15 years.

Of course, no one will be satisfied with the answers. Perhaps President Trump should tell  Jordan’s king, “You’re fired!”

Jordan’s secular opposition are ready to rule.